Fireplace closure



R. R. BENEDICT 2,156,799 FIREPLACE CLOSURE Filed Sept. 4, 1936 May 2, 1939.

2 Sheets-Sheet l y 1939- R; R. BENEDICT 2,156,799

FIREPLACE CLOSURE Filed Sept. 4, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 2, 1939 UNITED, STATES FIREPLACE CLOSURE Rome Robert Benedict, Chattanooga, Tenn., as-

signor of one-half to Andrew J. Carley, Jr.,

Chattanooga, Tenn.

Application September 4, 19-36, Serial No. 99,435

5 Claims.

My invention relates to fire place fixtures and more particularly to closures for fire places to be used for separating the opening of the fireplace from the room, ofiice or hall.

, It is the practice in modern homes to use a wood or coal fire place to supplement the heat of the furnace, and in less modern homes the practice has often been to depend entirely upon the fire place as a source of heat. In the home where there are small children it is often necessary to provide some obstruction in front of the fire to prevent them from playing in it and being burned. Again it is necessary for the occupants to be in other parts of the house or office while I the fire place is in use, or to even be away from the premises for long periods. During the periods when the fire place is not in use, it is often neces sary or desirable to seal it. This deprives the room or office of this added ventilation at times when it is most needed.

Many efforts have been made to overcome these undesirable characteristics. Sliding curtains of metal and large metal closures extending out from each side of the hearth have been used. The

sliding curtain is unsatisfactory because of the necessity for bulky supplemental structure extending from the front of the fire place. The use of the above closure covering the hearth is alsonotsatisfactory since it consumes a large part ofithe available space, and is cumbersome to move about.

Attempts have also been made to provide a. fire place closure consisting of hingedly mounted doors connected to a frame surrounding the opening of the fire place. These doors are generally constructed of solid metal. Such structure is disclosed in the patent to- Rowe, 1,475,886. Such a closure. simply seals the fire place. It cannot be used forv the. purposes otherwise indicated above.

0 Another form of door closure employs a single door made of screen or mesh and hinged. to a frame surrounding the fire place opening. This structure would be best adapted to use on a small fire place where the door, when in open i5 position would not extend too far out into the room. The opening and closing of a lar e single door would be difficult, its weight and flexibility would result in sagging. This construction is disclosed in the patent to McLean, 698,848.

Still another form employs a. series of screen m panels, hingedly secured. together and adapted to catch and lock together at the center of the fireplace. These panels do not provide sufiicient rigidity to conform to the face of the fire place, thus presenting a wavy and uneven front. This is coverediby the patent to Stedman et al, 265,174.

Applicant with a knowledge of the defects in. and objections to the prior art has as an object of his invention the provision of a fireplace clo- 60 sure employing a frame for seating in the opening,

screen or mesh doors hinged to said frame for closing said opening, a button to maintain said doors in closed position, and a latch, mounted on one door and cooperating with the other to reinforce the structure and limits the distance the doors may travel inwardly.

Applicant has as a still further object of his invention the provision of means for securing the frames to the walls of the fireplace by strap-s having a plurality of openings therethrough for the accommodation of securing elements at convenient locations in the walls of such fire place.

With the aforesaid structure it is a further object of applicants invention to provide a strong and durable closure which may be opened or closed at the convenience of the occupants, that may be locked to prevent children from being burned by fire in the fire place, and when closed will act to retain the hot coals and prevent them from burning the house by escaping from such fire place; and when closed during the periods when the fire place is not in use will act as a ventilating duct to cool and insure that the room is provided with fresh air.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel fea- Eli) tures of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the annexed claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 shows a front elevation of a fire place having my closure placed therein. Figure 2 shows a perspective of a part of my closure seated in the fire place opening. Figure 3 is a plan View, in section, of a fire place using my improved closure, taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 1. Figure 4 shows a front elevation of a fire place carrying the frames of my improved closure. Figure 5 shows a detail of part of my closure using the improved button. Figure 6 shows a detail of my improved latch and lock. Figure '7 shows a detail of my hinges and frame.

In Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings l designates the brick or tile wall of a conventional fire place,

having an opening into which is fitted frame 2.

To this frame are hingedly secured doors 3, 4 which open from the center. Hinges 5, 6, 1,. 8 have one of their leaves secured to the door and theother of their leaves secured to the-inner face of the frame 2.

The body part of doors 3, 4 is composed of screen or mesh 9, Ill and covered by appropriate grill work ll, l2. The leaves of hinges 5, 6, 1, B are maintained in assembled position by pins [3, l4, l5, I6. To the free end of door 3 is secured strip H which, when said door is closed, engages door 4 and also maintains it in closed position. l8 designates a handle rotatably mounted in door 3 to move latch finger l9 which passes through registering slots in flanges of doors 3, 4 to latch the doors together, and supplements finger 20 which is pivotally mounted on frame 2 and normally engages strip I! to maintain the doors in closed position. Positioned within and secured to the inner surface of the outer frame 2 is an inner frame 2!, which inner frame is narrow and is mounted adjacent the back or rear edge of said outer frame. This frame serves to brace the outer one and provides a wall against which the doors may close and rest, thereby giving a solid structure, and maintaining such doors in proper shape. The frames 2, 2| are rigidly mounted and secured in the fire place opening by a series of straps 22, 23 (others not shown) having a plurality of openings therein for the reception of a securing element at some convenient place for seating in the fire place wall.

Figure 3 shows a plan view of the fire place, partly in section. The outer frame 2 seats in the fire place opening and to the inner surface of such frame is welded or otherwise secured the frame 2|. Both of these frames are maintained in position by straps, such as 22, 24 (others not shown) through which spikes or other securing elements 25, 26 extend.

Figure 5 shows a detail of button 28 pivoted to frame 2, and engaging strip IT for normally maintaining doors 3 and 4 in closed position. The strip I! is integral with the door 3 and overlaps the free end of door 4.

Figure 6 shows a detail of the two doors 3, 4 secured together by latch finger l9 extending through registering slots in corresponding flanges (30, 3!) of such doors and having a head 28 seated on the wall of door 4. In this position the finger is locked by the tongue 28 of lock 21, which engages behind such head 28,

The operation is as follows:

Ordinarily during use the doors 3, 4 are thrown to and remain in open position, partially shown in Figure 2. When small children are in the room or the occupants desire to leave the premises, the doors are moved to closed position, as shown in Figure 1. First, the button 20 is swung to one side, and door 4 closed, then door 3 is swung to closed position where strip ll thereof overlaps the free end of door 4 and prevents it from moving out beyond such strip. In this position finger 20 is permitted to fall to vertical position, and on the outside of strip H to press the doors against frame 2|.

After this is accomplished the slots in doors 3, 4 will be in registration, handle i8 may be rotated, and finger [9 will be extended through these slots until head 28 rests upon flange 3| of door 4. Then look 27 is actuated so that tongue 29 moves out and engages behind head 28.

The doors are by this action locked in closed position, but the heat from the fire may freely come through the screen or mesh to warm the room. Occupants may safely leave the house or children may play about the fire. No coals of fire can come through the mesh or screen, and children cannot possibly get through and into the hot'fire.

The grill work II in this connection serves a double function. It strengthens the closure, preventing it from sagging, and adds greatly to its beauty.

During the summer or at times when the fire place is not in use, the closure may remain closed. In this manner such fire place is effectively closed and covered, while at the same time it may serve as a ventilating duct during the times when most needed.

In installing the closure the frame 2 is fitted into the fire place opening and the straps 22, 23, etc., extend into the fire place. When an opening in each of these straps registers with a desirable place in the wall l, spikes or pins 25, 26, etc., are driven into such wall and the closure is thus anchored therein.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A combination of the character described comprising a fire place having an opening, a frame seated in said opening, doors hingedly secured to said frame on either side thereof, said doors being comprised of screen or wire mesh covered with grill work, a strip secured to the free end of one of said doors and engaging the other when in closed position, and means engaging said strip for preventing said doors from swinging open.

2. A combination of the character described, comprising a fire place having an opening, an outer frame seated in said opening and secured to the walls thereof, an inner frame secured to the inner surface of said outer frame, doors hingedly secured to said outer frame and engaging said inner frame in closed position, and means for preventing said doors from swinging to open position.

3. A combination of the character described comprising a fire place having an opening, an outer frame seated in said opening, doors hingedly secured to said outer frame, an inner frame secured to said outer frame for limiting the inward movement of said doors, a strip secured to the free end of one of said doors and engaging the other when in closed position, and means acting on said strip for preventing said doors from swinging to open position.

4. A combination of the character described comprising a fire place having an opening, an outer frame secured therein, screen or mesh doors hingedly secured to said frame, an inner frame secured to said outer frame for limiting the inward movement of said doors, a strip secured to the free end of one of said doors for engagement with the other in closed position, and means acting upon said strip for preventing said doors from swinging open.

5. A combination of the character described comprising a fire place having an opening, an outer frame seated therein, straps projecting from said outer frame for securing it to the walls of said opening, an inner frame secured to the inner surface of said outer frame for limiting the inward movement of doors mounted on either side of the opening, a strip secured to the free end of one of said doors for overlapping the other when in closed position, means pivoted on said outer frame and engaging said strip for maintaining said doors in closed position, and latch means pivoted on one of said doors and engaging the other to latch them together.

ROME ROBERT BENEDICT. 

